An Unfinished Journey

But if the Internet doesnt oblige,how is one supposed to find out where to go,when to go,how to reach,where to stay? Asking fellow travel friends does not turn up relevant information. So I decide to take a chance and be at Gahirmatha on a full moon night. Olive Ridley nesting time is usually between November and March and February seems like perfect timing.

So here I am on the clogged highway from Bhubaneshwar to Paradeep,moving at,well,tortoise pace. Behind,beside and ahead of my vehicle are numerous open lorries laden with sooty iron ore in heaps. It takes five hours to cover the 130-odd kilometres from Bhubaneshwar to Rajnagar in Kendrapara district. At Rajnagar,the only boats available to ferry you to Bhitarkanika National Park are run by the forest department.

And not surprisingly,they are just basic and cramped,but you soon forget the discomfort and focus on the lush green on the banks and the teeming life in the river. Bhitarkanika is a deceptively calm,muddy-looking river festooned with mangroves on both banks. But look closer and youll find it infested with crocodiles. Every few yards,you come across ten footers stretched out on the banks sunning themselves. Bend down,and you see water ripples transform themselves into crocs when you follow their trail. Baby crocodiles,barely larger than garden lizards stare at you curiously as your boat sails past. Spotted deer,wild boar,jackal,an occasional four-foot high crane and several migratory birds populate the banks,of course at a safe distance from the crocs.

Dangmal forest guest house deep inside Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary is paradise itself,as much for its location deep inside the gorgeous,lush jungle resonating with bird calls as for the precious glimpse of pristine life sans electricity. However,I am told I cant go to Gahirmatha beach in the evening since I hadnt taken prior permission to travel at night and in any case,one cant spend the night on the beach,turtles or no turtles. But I am free to wander around the moon-dazzled Bhitarkanika jungle as long as I pleased,provided I dont step on slumbering serpents the concern is for the serpent,not me or stray into waterbodies hosting crocodiles and monitor lizards.

Very early next morning,when visibility is near zero and the river is blanketed in thick mist,we set sail for Gahirmatha. After about three hours,we spot a looming island on the horizonWheeler Island,yes,the same one from which the Interceptor missile was test-fired recently. We steer clear of this defence area towards Ekakula,where we dock almost mid-river. A walk along a wobbly bamboo bridge almost half a kilometre long finally brings me to my dream destination,the mouth of Maipura river,the favourite maternity ward of Olive Ridley turtles on planet earth.

Except that the dream turned out to be a cruel nightmare. On the beach there were about a hundred giant Olive Ridleys which appeared to be in a labour-induced trance,but on closer inspection,turned out to be dead carcasses. Mauled,mangled and maimed by fishing trawlers,their bodies had been washed ashore by the tide. It is an indescribably sad sight that jolts you awake to the extent of damage human greed can inflict on defenceless fellow creatures that inhabit our planet.

A uniformed forest guard blocks my way and almost snatches my camera. After a lot of arguing and cajoling,he relents and lets me take just a couple of pictures. He tells me how these gentle giants perish by the thousands every day, and caught and maimed by fishing trawlers. On the horizon I spy about a dozen trawlers. Whats the coast guard doing? I wonder. What can a couple of coast guard boats do against thousands of trawlers? Commercial trawling is big business madam,what are a few thousand turtles before the allure of the big bucks that tiger prawns bring in?

Any stray turtles that may have escaped the trawler nets are often confused by the flashing lights at Wheeler Island and end up going in circles. The upcoming port at Dhamra will no doubt drive these away for ever.
I turn back inconsolably saddened by the unfinished journey of these gentle giants.